The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today threatened to "cut off the hands of any aggressor" if the country was attacked.In a speech to mark Iran's army day, he told officers the country "has to be constantly ready, equipped and powerful".His speech - which was delivered prior to an armed march-past reminiscent of the cold war - said Iran "has to be equipped with the latest technologies, recognise the enemy and constantly be vigilant". The Iranian president's remarks came less than a week after Tehran announced it had joined the "nuclear club", claiming to have successfully enriched uranium.They also followed reports that the US government was considering nuclear strikes on Iranian nuclear bases.... http://www.guardian.co.uk

The US state of Georgia has approved a controversial immigration bill which prevents illegal immigrants from receiving state benefits. When the law takes effect next year, employers hiring illegal workers will face sanctions and police will have to check detainees' legal status. Governor Sonny Perdue, who signed the bill, said it was intended to "ensure Georgia's hospitality was not abused". Supporters and critics say it is the toughest immigration measure in the US. "I want to make this clear: we are not, Georgia's government is not, and this bill is not anti-immigrant," Gov Sunny Perdue said. "It is our responsibility to ensure that our famous Georgia hospitality is not abused, that our taxpayers are not taken advantage of and that our citizens are protected." ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4918826.stm

South Africa's telephone charges are among the highest in the world, an international consultant has found. This hinders business development and internet growth, analysts say. Monopoly landline operator Telkom says South Africa's rates are competitive. A second telecommunications company was granted a licence late last year. The survey by NUS Consulting compared call costs between 14 countries, including Australia, the UK, the US, Germany and South Africa. "Our tariffs for national long-distance calls and cellphones are still the highest of the major world economies with which we do business," Stephen Dolk of NUS Consulting told Business Day newspaper. For example, a three-minute long-distance call costs $0.34 in South Africa, as opposed to $0.08 in Sweden, the cheapest price found in the survey. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4918460.stm

The health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine 20 years ago have been grossly under-estimated, says an environmental charity. Official UN figures predicted up to 9,000 Chernobyl-related cancer deaths. But Greenpeace says in a report released on Tuesday that recent studies estimate that the actual number of such deaths will be 93,000. Stressing that there is a problem with diagnosis, it adds that other illnesses could take the toll to 200,000. "Our problem is that there is no accepted methodology to calculate the numbers of people who might have died from such diseases," Greenpeace campaigner Jan van de Putte told Reuters news agency. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4917526.stm

An overcrowded bus speeding home from a religious festival veered off a highway emergency ramp and crashed through a metal barrier, plunging more than 650 feet into a ravine. Fifty-seven people were killed, including a 13-year-old boy. Just three people survived Monday's plunge from the highway, considered one of the 15 most dangerous in Mexico. Two were in critical condition and one, an 8-year-old girl, was stable, according to Sanatorio Escudero, the hospital in Orizaba where the injured were taken. Ranulfo Marquez, deputy director of civil protection for Veracruz state, said the girl was conscious but had suffered multiple fractures. The bus, equipped to hold 46 passengers, was carrying 60, some of whom were standing. Federal Preventive Police Cmdr. Reinaldo Ascencio Cavazos said the owner of the bus was detained for questioning. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1854135&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

The Alabama Legislature gave final approval to a bill that sets up a process to pardon civil rights icon Rosa Parks and hundreds of others arrested for violating segregation-era laws. The sponsor of the bill, Democratic Rep. Thad McClammy, said the legislation could lead to pardons for Parks, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and hundreds of others convicted of violating laws aimed at keeping the races separate. McClammy said the arrests date back as far as the early 1900s. The bill, named "The Rosa Parks Act" was amended in the Senate to allow museums such as The Rosa Parks Library and Museum in Montgomery to continue to display records of the arrests. ...http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1854011&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312